20 for 20: Facility Upgrades
The 2020-21 athletic year is the 20th year that I (Paul Welker) have served as Alfred State's Sports Information Director. During this school year I plan on writing a 20-part series on my time covering the Pioneers.
As I sit in my office I can smell the polyurethane being applied to the Orvis Gymnasium floor as contractors are working on the new playing surface for Alfred State student-athletes. The smell made me think of the facility improvements we have seen at Alfred State during my nearly 20 years covering the teams.
When I arrived at Alfred State the outdoor facilities did not look anything like the way they look today. The only facility that resembles what it currently looks like is the Orvis Gymnasium because the major renovation of that facility finished the year before I arrived in Alfred. The campus did not have a home football or baseball field, the grass field in the middle of our track was crowned so much it was difficult some days to see the end lines on the other side of the field, and there was little technology at any of the facilities.
The first facility that was constructed during my years was the baseball and softball fields on top of the hill. I remember many lunch trips to the stadium to see the progress. Tom Kenney and I would stop at the Alfred Sub Shop and head up and watch the construction. The baseball program had never played a true home game until the Spring of 2002 when Pioneer Field opened. (the softball team had an on-campus field but it did and does not compare to what was being built).
The baseball field and softball field both included large dugouts, seating areas for fans, and storage sheds. Since the original work has been done in 2001, water and irrigation systems have been added, scoreboards installed, press box facilities with permanent speakers have been added, and an access road has been built at the facility.
Not to be forgotten in the building of the baseball and softball fields is the building of two grass practice areas for football, soccer, and lacrosse use. Building these practice fields set up the plans to renovate and create a stadium complex.
Pioneer Stadium was opened in 2008. The field turf facility features lights, seating for 2,000 spectators, and a fully functioning press box. The following summer, permanent restrooms, a concession stand, referee locker rooms, and storage areas were built. The opening of the stadium changed Alfred State athletics. The football team was able to play their first ever on-campus home football game on 9/6/2008, the soccer and lacrosse teams had a field that they could practice and play on and not worry about tearing up the grass, and the track was expanded from six lanes to eight lanes to allow the college to host Regional and NJCAA National Championships.
The addition of Pioneer Stadium allowed the college to start Homecoming traditions, host graduation on campus, host concerts and other college and community events. During the first five years, Pioneer Stadium hosted three NJCAA National Track & Field Championships and two Region III Championships along with countless Pioneer athletic events.
Since the initial build of of Pioneer Stadium, the track surface has been upgraded, a locker room facility has been added, and a video scoreboard was erected.
Another large upgrade that has taken place on campus during my time is the fitness center. The lone fitness center on campus for many years was in the basement of the Orvis Activities Center. With the opening of the Student Leadership Center, the college used newly open space in the Pioneer Center to create a new fitness center that is similar to the what was always in Orvis. With the opening of the new facility, the space in Orvis was transformed into a strength room which allows student-athletes more access to sport specific training with strength & conditioning coaches. The college has even added a third option with the renovation of the MacKenzie Complex. The commons area in MacKenzie features a cardio room for students to use.
The opening of the Student Leadership Center also brought improvements to the athletic department. The Orvis Activities Center was a shared space between athletics and student engagement and with the new building student engagement moved and allowed for coaches and athletic staff to spread out. Coaches went from sharing offices to having their own spaces. The old radio station was transformed into a video/team room. The Orvis Lounge was not used as much and plans to re-imagine it started. This past summer, the Shay Family Hall of Fame room opened in that space to showcase the history of Pioneer athletes and teams.
There have also been countless smaller projects that have upgraded our department. Things like the addition of a timing system and scoreboard in the pool, renovating the wrestling room with new wall mats, adding protective nets to the gymnasium are just a few to mention.
I was part of the rebranding team that brought the Ox logo and Big Blue to campus. The simple addition of our logo on walls, signs, and wind screen has elevated the look of our facilities.
Like everywhere else in college and high school athletics there is still a wish list of upgrades and additions but the growth and the development of the facilities during my time has been amazing to see. If you haven't been on campus lately, check out this video we recently put together showing our facilities: https://alfredstate.prestosports.com/Open_House_Videos/Alfred_State_Facility_Video_-_Open_House. I am looking forward to more upgrades in future years.
Previous 20 for 20's:
Story 1: The First Fall
Story 2: Gina and Juice
Story 3: Nose, Ear, Knee
Story 4: Football Tales
Story 5: Sand Storm
Story 6: The Voice of the Pioneers
Story 7: Homecoming
Story 8: USCAA Championships - Part 1 - Women's Soccer
Story 9: USCAA Championships - Part 2 - Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Cross Country
Story 10: Friendsgiving
